1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an accounting apparatus, an information receiving apparatus, and a communication system used in a multimedia network or the like in which transferred is information including moving image data, still image data, voice data, computer data, computer program and the like, and particularly features in information provision and its accounting system.
2. Related Background Art
In the field of trunk communication networks, optical fiber networks have been consolidated, cable television systems have been developed, satellite communications have been used practically, and local area networks have been prevailed. Various types of information is provided by using such communication networks. Information service industries are becoming large which charge a toll in accordance with the quantity and contents of information. It is important for such industries to properly charge a toll of provided information.
Protection of information is not still perfect, and there is an issue of illegal use of information including programs, images, and voices. In order to prevent illegal use, a copy protection function is provided, a serial number check is performed, or other methods are performed. In the serial number check, a hardware serial number and a software serial number are compared with each other when each program is executed. The copy protection function is inconvenient when a backup is to be performed, and the serial number check is inconvenient for the management of serial numbers and sales.
A concept "super distribution" proposed by Ryouich Mori aims at protection of rights of a software proprietor (hereinafter called an information provider). This concept was embodied in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Nos. 60-77218, 60-191322, 64-68835, 2-44447, 4-64129, and others. FIG. 1 illustrates the concept "super distribution" disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 4-64129. An information provider P supplies proprietary software PPi (or PPj) to a user terminal station 10. The user terminal station 10 includes a discrimination or judging unit 11 and a storage unit 12. The discrimination unit 11 judges whether or not the software PP is permitted to use, by comparing a software identification number PIDi (or PIDj) with a user ID/condition. If usable, a use history of provided information is stored in the storage unit 12. The information provider P charges a toll of provided information (software PP) in accordance with the use history. Reference numeral "13" denotes a software service unit (SSU) including the above-described unites.
The "super distribution" system is, however, associated with the following problems.
(1) In the "super distribution" system, whether a user is a subscriber to an information provider is judged from data specific to the user such as a user ID. It is therefore necessary to prepare at least a storage unit for storing the data specific to users. Each user first asks for the information provider so as to receive a use permission and a user ID or the like, and then the user ID or the like is stored as the user specific data. Such a subscriber permission procedure is cumbersome and the management of specific data of a number of users requires much labor.
(2) In the "super distribution" system, the storage unit 12 for storing software use history is used for preventing illegal use of information and for managing the use state of information provided by the information provider. In accordance with the use history, the information provider asks for the user to pay a charge. In the "super distribution" system, information is not sold but rent so that the use history becomes necessary. However, with this system, the information provider knows the information provided to a user and privacy of the user cannot be protected.
(3) With the "super distribution" system, although the use state and charges of provided information can be correctly managed, a charge payment apparatus and method is not disclosed. Therefore, after the information provider checks the use state of provided information, the provider is required to ask for a charge and receive it by using another system.